Pumpkin Bacon Sage and Brown Butter Pasta

5 from 20 votes

Pumpkin Bacon Sage and Brown Butter Pasta

Sweet pumpkin paired with rich, browned butter forms a delicious cream sauce perfectly complemented by crispy bacon crumbles and the earthiness of sage. A few shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese take it over the top, making it an irresistible meal you'll be eager to make again and again.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian Recipes, Mediterranean Recipes

Keyword: Brown Butter, Easy Recipe, Egg-Free, Fall Recipe, Italian, Nut-Free, Pasta, Pumpkin

Diet: Mediterranean

Servings:

Calories: 726kcal

Author: Sonia Skounaki-Garbidakis

Equipment

Ingredients

12 oz linguine pasta
4 slices bacon
6 tbsp unsalted butter cut into 6 even pieces
3 shallots
2 cloves garlic minced
4 fresh sage leaves
1 cup pumpkin purée not pie filling
½ cuo heavy cream
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 oz parmesan cheese shaved into large strips with a potato peeler

Instructions

Prepare the linguine pasta according to the directions on the package directions. Drain it using a colander, but do not rinse. Keep pasta warm.
While the linguine is cooking, start preparing the sauce.
Place the bacon in a large light-colored (or stainless steel) skillet over medium heat and cook until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Add the fresh sage leaves to the pan with the bacon drippings and cook until crispy, 3-4 minutes. Set aside on the plate with bacon strips.
Wipe the skillet you used to cook bacon with a paper towel. It doesn't have to be clean; you just need to remove the access grease. Then, place that skillet back over medium heat.
Add the butter and cook gently over medium heat until the butter begins to melt. Once melted, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until it starts to foam. Continue cooking until the butter turns from yellow to a toasted brown color and has a nutty aroma. Observe it and stir it occasionally, so the butter does not burn; you don't want to blacken and burn the butter.
Add shallots and garlic to the browned butter and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the shallots and garlic become fragrant.
Stir in the pumpkin purée and the heavy cream. Stir it well and cook the sauce for about 3-4 minutes, until thoroughly heated through.
Add the cooked pasta to the sauce skillet. Toss until it is well coated with the pumpkin sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Note: Salt is not generally required due to adding bacon and parmesan in the next step).
Break the bacon into pieces., and crumble the sage.
Serve the pasta on plates and top with the crispy bacon, sage, and parmesan shavings.

Notes

Variations of this dish

You can use prosciutto in place of bacon. Just keep in mind that the prosciutto cooks much faster.

You can use either Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano or Pecorino Romano.

This recipe is easily adapted for vegetarian diners. You need to omit the bacon from the dish.

For a vegan version, omit the bacon, replace the heavy cream with canned coconut milk, and use vegan cheese to grate over the top.

Notes and Cooking Tips

You can use canned pumpkin purée (not pie filling) to save time preparing this dish.

The key to success is to watch your butter carefully. It can go from nutty brown deliciousness to burnt in just a moment, so do not walk away while preparing. For best results, use a light-colored or stainless steel skillet so that you can see the color transformation.

Make-ahead tips and Storing leftovers

I don't recommend making this dish ahead of time. However, you can prepare the brown butter in advance to have it ready when a recipe calls for it.

Store the butter in an air-tight glass container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or freeze it in ice cube trays for later use.

Nutrition